At Bernard Sunley, our Woking-based residential, nursing and dementia care home, the care team and residents have been helping Vivian Best celebrate his 86th Birthday, in ‘High Flying’ style, making sure he enjoyed all his favourite things.
Vivian, who has been a resident at Bernard Sunley since November 2022, moved to the care home from Scotland, to be close to his son. “I am very happy with the care I receive here. The home is beautiful, all the care team are lovely and the gardens are stunning,” said Vivian. “Smiles Café is a great place for coffee and a delicious cake too. You can always find me there with my friends.”
Born in Worthing, West Sussex, Vivian lived in the seaside town until he was 16-years-old before moving to Woking to join the Aircraft Industry as an Aircraft Engineer. “At school, my favourite class was Metal Work as I just loved making things. That love stayed with me, and as an Aircraft Engineer, I worked for the well-known aircraft and submarine manufacturer, Vickers,” continued Vivian.
“I loved my job. It was so interesting, just like solving puzzles and putting Lego® together. I loved solving any problems and working out a way to fix them on each machine I was involved with. I worked on many aircraft including the Viking, Concorde and V-Bombers. Seeing the finished submarines and aircrafts was so special.” added Vivian.
“Last year, Monika our Activities Coordinator, arranged for me and some other residents to visit Brooklands Museum. Back in the day, it was where I worked and some of the aircrafts I’d help build where on display. It was great to see them again,” Vivian added.
When he was 23-years-old, Vivian married his Wife, Joyce. “We got married on Whit Weekend at Weybridge Methodist Church,” said Vivian. The happy couple had two children – Steven and Carolann and now, Vivian is a proud Grandfather to two lovely Grandchildren, Zoe and Adam.
In 1993, the family moved to the outskirts of Aberdeen, as Vivian took a job in Scotland working for a manufacturing and supply company. “I loved living in Scotland. We were surrounded by nature and had a lovely house. Sadly, after a time, the company closed down, so I retired,” continued Vivian.
“Vivian is such a lovely resident, we wanted to make sure he had a fantastic birthday,” said Monika Ahmed, the Activities Coordinator at Bernard Sunley. “Vivian especially enjoys the performances from one of our visiting entertainers, Nigel Dawson, so as a birthday surprise, we booked a ‘Dawson Talk’ for him. The ‘Dawson Talks’ are interactive shows which include sing-alongs, reminiscing stories and a themed talk. They are great sessions for all our residents, and everyone got into the birthday spirit and had a great time,” added Monika.
Vivian’s birthday treats didn’t end there. The care team also put on a delicious birthday tea party, complete with a tasty birthday cake, which Vivian enjoyed with all his care home friends.
“Vivian is such an interesting man,” said Andy Cumper, the Registered Manager at Bernard Sunley. “He tells us such fascinating stories about his time building aircrafts and submarines, he’s so passionate about it. It was wonderful to see him enjoying his special day. It truly is great to have him living with us at Bernard Sunley.”
“I had a wonderful 86th Birthday, it was a day I shall never forget, everyone treated me like a King for the day – ‘plane’ and simple, I loved it,” concluded Vivian.
Find out more about Bernard Sunley care home by calling 01483 764 300 or emailing enquiries@fote.org.uk.